By MICHAEL MARTINEZ

Published: April 6, 1988

Correction Appended

One year ago tonight, the words that shook baseball were spoken on national television.

When Al Campanis, then the vice president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said on ABC's ''Nightline'' that black people lack ''the necessities'' to perform high-level management duties in baseball, it caused more than just a ripple through every major-league organization. It set the game on a new course that, although slow and deliberate, has seen movement by teams to hire more people from minority groups.

But whether that movement has been significant remains a controversy.

''There has been progress in the year since Campanis,'' said Frank Robinson, a special assistant to the president of the Baltimore Orioles. ''Hirings that would not have taken place have come about, and hirings in the future will happen that otherwise would not have. It took 40 years to happen. We can't get it all back in one year.'' Significant Increase? A progress report issued by the office of Commissioner Peter Ueberroth last week revealed that one out of every three people hired in baseball - 180 of 542 by the 26 clubs -was from a minority group. Of the 282 openings for high-level positions, 36 percent were filled by minority-group members, as were 30 percent of the 260 on-field hirings, according to the report.

A significant increase? It depends on how the figures are viewed, and by whom.

Critics point out that most of the front-office hirings of minority-group members were in nondecision-making positions. Of the 14 highest-level jobs available in 1987 - that is, manager, general manager and president - none was filled by member of a minority group.

The only recent hiring of a minority member to the position of manager was the Cuban-born Cookie Rojas, who took over the California Angels this spring when Gene Mauch retired.

The study released by Ueberroth -the first of its kind in baseball - was researched and prepared by Alexander & Associates, a Washington-based consulting firm hired by the commissioner's office in May 1987 to help develop and monitor affirmative-action programs for each of the 26 clubs.

Clifford Alexander, the firm's president, said the report indicated that a great deal of progress had been made by baseball, but he insisted that teams needed to work harder, and at a more hurried pace, to hire minority people to management posts. 'Sense of Impatience'

''We are operating with a sense of impatience,'' he said. ''To baseball's credit, it has stepped up to the plate and has rounded first base, but it hasn't come home yet. One has to look at what has been done and congratulate the owners. But we'll continue to light a fire under them to see that more is done.''

Some have not been satisfied with the results so far, particularly some black players who might be candidates for management jobs in the future.

Don Baylor, the designated hitter of the Oakland Athletics and a player expected to become a management executive when he retires, was critical of the report, partly because it did not indicate how many of the 180 hirings were to low-level positions.

''I look around and I see one hiring here, one there, another one there,'' Baylor said. ''But these aren't on the field. There are no black managers, still no third-base coaches. There are a few hitting coaches, a few office jobs and some scouts, but everything else remains the same.

''They say that minorities aren't qualified, but they're not taking a person who is qualified and training him to do the job. Those numbers are just numbers. They satisfy the argument that things are being done.'' 'Not Informed'

Reacting to Baylor, Ueberroth said: ''I think anyone who says that is incorrect, not informed and counterproductive. It's a compliment to the owners of the major-league teams. The rest of the progress will come naturally, and that's the right way. I always told the owners not to hire anyone they didn't believe in, not to do it just because of tokenism.''

Still, the people who are driving for more minority hirings acknowledge that the second year will be more difficult than the first, and the third more difficult than the second.

''Without question, this year will be much tougher,'' said Dr. Harry Edwards, the black sociology professor from the University of California at Berkeley who was named last June as a special consultant to baseball. Edwards was made reponsible for developing a pool of former players from minority groups who would be interested in employment in baseball. ''We'll come in for more scrutiny from people looking at what we're trying to do. If this was a honeymoon period, it's over.

''But we're going to double our efforts, especially at filling the full spectrum of positions. If we go into the next season with no black managers, we'll come into a great deal of criticism. But we're prepared for that.'' Mets and Yanks Improve

The Mets and the Yankees, like other teams, have improved their hiring practices, although the principal owner of the Yankees, George Steinbrenner, has said he is not making a deliberate attempt to fill positions with members of minority groups.

''We're practicing the same thing we have all along,'' he said. ''If a guy is qualified, we want the best man for the job. I will never be forced to hire someone if he isn't qualified to do the job.''

But Al Harazin, the senior vice president of the Mets, said: ''We're trying to be responsive. Whenever there is an opening in our organization, we are keenly aware of baseball's desire to involve more minorities.''

Steinbrenner said that his organization had a black accountant in its front office, and he pointed out that it had one of the few black broadcasters in Bill White. Harazin said that of 60 people in the Mets' office, 6 were either black or of Hispanic ancestry.

Steinbrenner also said that some black and Hispanic former players were reluctant to take front-office positions because they could earn more money as coaches. He said that Chris Chambliss, the Yankees' hitting instructor, who is black, had turned down a job as assistant general manager to remain on the field.

''That argument is nonsense,'' said Alexander. ''The fact is, there are many people who want to go into the front office who used to play.'' 'Doesn't Represent Me'

Baylor also criticized Ueberroth's plan because, he said, the group the commissioner appointed is not in touch with the needs of minority-group members looking for baseball employment opportunities.

''Clifford Alexander is someone in Washington who has never even approached ballplayers,'' he said. ''At least Jesse Jackson came to Chicago and shook hands with players, even if it was an attempt at grandstanding. Alexander represents the commissioner. He doesn't represent me or other players.''

Those deeply involved in improving baseball's hiring practices say the distance to travel is still long, that the remarks made by Campanis served as a catalyst and an embarrassment. But that night one year ago will forever be remembered for its impact on the game.

And the prejudice will take a long time to disappear.

''Do you think it will go away?'' Robinson asked. ''It won't go away in one year or with one statement. It may never go away. But what Campanis said has made people aware.'' Progress Report The number of women and minority-group members hired by major league teams since April 1, 1987. Pct. of FRONT OFFICE No. Total Total hirings 282 Women 125 44 Minority groups 102 36 Pct. of ON FIELD No. Total Total hirings 260 Women l0 0 Minority groups 78 30 Pct. of OVER ALL No. Total Total hirings 542 Women 125 23 Minority groups 180 33 Source: Baseball commissioner's office